This story first appeared on Truthout.org.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense (DOD) posted a warning to the organization formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America — revert to old, exclusionary rules, or risk losing its longstanding partnership with the U.S. military.
Scouting America, the organization’s name since February 2025, has made a number of inclusive changes in recent years. In 2018, the organization allowed girls to join Cub Scouts for the first time, and in 2019, it allowed girls to pursue the same path as boys to Eagle Scout, the highest Scouting rank. In the 2010s, the organization lifted the ban on openly gay scouts and ended the prohibition on openly gay adults leading troops.
Notably, Scouting has had strong ties to the U.S. military since its start, due in large part to President Teddy Roosevelt’s support for the organization. Scouting has long promoted gun use and Christian ideals as essential tenets of patriotism, though some of these ideas have been relaxed over time. Scouting America’s current membership policy says that it aims to “bring together youth of every race, religion, gender, ethnic background, and economic status in programs to develop character, citizenship, and fitness.”
“It is the philosophy of Scouting to welcome all eligible youth … who are willing to accept Scouting’s values and meet any other requirements of membership,” the organization says on its website. “Prejudice, intolerance and unlawful discrimination are unacceptable within the ranks of Scouting America.”
DOD spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote on X that the department, which partners with Scouting America on a number of ventures, would consider breaking that bond if the organization didn’t return to its past exclusionary policies.
Parnell wrote that the “War Department” [sic] has been “very clear” in its stance since President Donald Trump, and his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, took over: “No more DEI at DoW. Zero Tolerance.”
Parnell claimed that Scouting America had “lost its way,” saying its new, inclusive policies “run counter to the values of this administration and this Department of War.”
Scouting should go “Back to God and country — immediately!” Parnell ordered.
The demands come as the Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to cut off funding to higher education institutions, nonprofits, and private businesses over their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies. The administration has taken particular aim at policies encouraging acceptance of transgender people or the accurate teaching of racism in U.S. history.
The Pentagon spokesperson indicated in his post that Scouting America was already working with DOD to make a “final agreement” on changes.
“[W]e believe we can continue our partnership with Scouting America, as long as the organization rapidly implements the common-sense, core value reforms,” Parnell said. “They are on the clock, and we are watching.”
In a statement to The Washington Post, Scouting America seemed to confirm it was working with DOD to enact changes, though it’s unclear what those changes may be.
“We are encouraged by tonight’s social media post by the Pentagon, and we look forward to providing more details as we move ahead,” the organization said.
If Scouting America doesn’t comply with the Pentagon’s demands, the group could lose access to military facilities — a move that would largely impact kids from military families, who sometimes participate in Scouting troops on U.S. bases abroad.
The military’s most notable collaboration with Scouting America is its participation in the annual July Jamboree, held in West Virginia, where thousands of scouts participate in a 10-day summit. In the past, DOD has provided equipment for the Jamboree, as well as medical, security, and logistical support from hundreds of National Guard members, reservists, and active-duty personnel.
Meagan McGovern, a Scouts girls troop leader and the parent of three scouts, penned an open letter on Substack urging the organization to oppose DOD’s demands.
“Scouting does not belong to the U.S. government. Scouting America is not funded by the U.S. government. Local troops are run by volunteers,” McGovern wrote, adding that “the federal government is now trying to bully Scouting America into excluding kids.”
“Giving in would be a betrayal of everything Scouting claims to teach,” McGovern went on. “Allowing a powerful institution to dictate who belongs is not bravery. It is not integrity. It teaches kids that values are negotiable when pressure is applied.”
McGovern concluded:
Scouting has survived world wars, cultural change, and massive institutional failure because it is built at the local level, by families and volunteers who believe in something better for their kids. Those families are watching right now. And they will remember who stood up, and who stayed quiet.
Girl Scouts troop leader
